Years back, the airline terms were:

Non-stop: 1 segment to get pax to their destination.

Direct: 1 stop on the same plane to get pax to their destination.

2 Stop: 2 stops on the same plane to get pax to their destination.

Connection: 1 stop on 2 different planes to get pax to their destination.

Double Connection: 2 stops on 3 different planes to get pax to their destination.

Later, the term "Direct with a change of planes" came about. This sounds a lot like a connection to me.

Also, to me, the term "direct" seems to purposly deceive the potential customer.